Apparatus for piling, handling and unloading articles



Dec. 294, 1925. 1,567,577 I $.DERDEHAN APPARATUS FOR FILING, HANDLING, AND UNLOADING ARTICLES v Filed May 26; 1925 igu Patented 1925.

'rEs PATENT OFFICE.

l snrnnx nnnnmmm, or wn'rnm'owu, mssxcnusn'rrs. An mus-Ion name; mnptme AND unnonnme mucus.

l Application filed lay 28,

To all whom it may-concern: c I .Be it known that I, SnrnAK Dnnnnmama citizen of the UnitedStates, and resident of Watertown, in thecountyof Middlesex and 6 State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Apparatus for PilinggHandling and Unloading Articles, of which the followingdes'cri tion, in connection with the accompanying rawings,-is a specification, 10 like reference characters on the drawings ,re resenting like parts. 1

II present invention is a novel rocess for handling heavy articles, such or ex= ample as concrete blocks or the like, and forming said articles into a pile, stack or unit comprising a plurality of the same, and I V then' handling such stack, in bulk, and while 7 thus iled, and unloading the same in released osition ready for individual use. I Whi e my invention is not limited to the handling ofconcrete blocks, yet it is prii marily intended for this purpose and the apparatus employed and the process utilized in carrying, out the invention are herein shown and described as for use in large, rela- 1 tively heavy and bulky concrete building blocks.

Heretofore the manufacture of concrete I buildingblocks has required the individual handling of each block, which, when taken from the machine forming the same, must first be piled 'or stacked, or a complete drying and set, such blocks weighing from fifty pounds upwardly, and therefore being I 85 incapable of easy manipulation by hand, diss :ti ishi my operation very radicall fr d n any s imilar handlin of brick or suc small relative light welght units. Such blocks, ewhen thus stored, are then handled 40. individually by present methods, one, two or moremen "usually being required to lift each, one on to atruck, Wagon or other transportating means, which in turn required additional handling and usually by two or Y more workmen. These heavy concrete blocks are also extremely diflicult, as well as dan- Y gerons, to handle manually, the heavy rough stone cutting the handsof the workmen, be- I ingso heavy andbulky as to fr uently jam and. injure the menhandling t em, sometimes being dropped, causing damage and injury, and generally involving an unusual amount of liabilityand expense, these risks abled,

I on the job,

can be effected just as efiiciently wit size units as small.

' details will be hereinafter ed out and claimed.

i925. Serial No. 88,008.

danger,-diificu1ty and extremely hard service involved.

My invention obviates the difliculties heretofore experienced in this art, and I am enby roviding suitable ap aratus, to pile or stac a plurality of these arge, relatively heavy concrete blocks, into stacked formation, preferably of just the right number for easy and convenient handling, then to transport the entire unit thus built up, and unloading and releasing the same or where the blocks are to be used. I contemplate the building and handling of any desired plurality of such blocks, building them into a unit of any required, desired or convepient size, such for example as nine blocks in the unit, twelve blocks, twenty-four, thirty-six or even a 30 larger number, since the manual handling is eliminated and the handling by a aratus large In carrying out myinvention I first provide a pallet, board or member of proper length and width, and of less area than the bottom row of the stack or unit to be built thereon, one of the objects of this pallet being to hold or lift the unit above the support, ground,.flo or or other restin place for the stack, to admit the insertion o a pair of channel irons, which in turn can be readily released when the stack or unit is'set down, because of the space provided by the pallet and the overhanging portions'of the concrete blocks; Furthermore, I can thus handle quickly, expeditiously and very economically, a great number of such blocks, keeping them in unit formation and preserving their edges, corners and other parts from damage or injury during transportation or handling.

Other features, advantages,

and important 1 methods of han ling and releasing. a

'As-shown inthe drawings, the concrete. blocks, which may be of any-size, area, di-' ly in cross-section;

'. Fig; 2 is a pers :Referri'ngto illustrating a referred embodiment offmy invent on;'

f F ig. 1 illustrates apile or stack of jconcr'ete blocks embodying my inyention part- I of the stack and t e pallet; and Fig, 3 is &.

erspective illustrating the mensionsand wel ht as';desired,are desigw 1 nated at 1- .usual ysuch' blocks weighin The pallet prepared and employe is in dicated at and'is'ofl'ess width than that blockstobe, lied vor -rested on the pallet '10. These-pa ets are also'preferabl provvidedf-with one ormorestaples as in icated at 14,,.,14.1Preferably; these staples are staggered? around the block in :order to. 1 permit the concreteblock, which may be formed withonehollowinterior space or. core,or'withtwor'oif'with four, as indicated in' the drawings, and as shown at 2; 3, 4. and 5,.to register. thereoverr For thispurpose,", --'the'ref0r e, the series of piled blocks herein shown,"- for example" as asmall unit of four in height and three in'length, are positioned on vthe pallet '10 with one of the openings registermg over the staples 14.- and a chain 15 is engagedwith the staple 14 and'acrossbar or 16 .;positioned through ,the link'sof; the chainvacross the top to thus ilo'ck' or hold the-"pile of concrete blocks onto the pallet 10 and to lift the pallet with the, unit. One ormore' of the same can thus be ositioned'so that each pairorcolumn displaced during pr maryhandling. an

transportation, and'in'sures the lifting and I "subsequent transporting.

carrying 'ofjthepallet 'until released.

- upon asecond unit built, and then the third pallet 10,- and the third unit built up if desired. After the'blocks have thusstood cured and itis desired to trans out the same toa building remote from t e point of manufacture,the chain 15 and crossbar 16 are fitted and each series of blocks in the topmost row are thus locked together and a pair of angle irons 21 and 22, each hav-, ing upstanding end portions 23 and re-v ecti've view-of a portion 28, Fig. 3. or more as above ex laine I necessity for handlinlg hoisting chains therefromv the releasin or unlocking of these units .in

i As the blocks corne1'frointhemachine and p are to be storedin the yard, they are thus placed first upon-a 10, as indicated in Fig. '1, until theidesired number or .unit is formed, such unit bein 'twelveitwenty four,

spectively, are fitted to the unit adjacent the pallet 10. Preferably the lowermost facilitate the positioning of the same read-' ily thereunder, as indicated in dottedlines net 25, Fi 1, and as more clearly-shown in Fig. 3. 1 t each end of these angle irons is provided an o a, ning 26 or the like to which a..hoisting hoo and chain can be fitted; also as indicated diagrammatically in dotted lines, Fig. 1, at 27 and as partly shown at These chains 28 from the four corners of the channel irons or bars, will be led to acentralrin 30, so that the tension of the hoist from t e ring 30, will hold the channel irons in position and raise or lift the entire unit from the rest of the stack, the allet .10 can be lifted with'theconcrete bloc s by the engagement of the cross-bars -16 andthe hook or chain 15. n Thus the entire unit can be swung into position on a truck, in a car or other place, and thereupon the-channed irons removed to transport another unit: When the truck, freight car or other transporting means is to be unloaded,

the pair of angle irons are fitted underneath the stack, the hoisting hooks and chain is applied, and the entire stacklifted, including the pallet 10, if it is desired to set the same down for still subsequent lifting. If. how: ever, it is desired to release the unit on the job so that there will be no longer any the blocks in unit or stacked-formation, remove the crossbar 16 from the chains 15"'thus' unlockin the pallet from the stack of blocks, and 5mmupon lift the unit y the anglenirons and contemplate thetruck, w en theyare to be delivered on v a the job,'then lifting the unit directly from of t e concreteblocks will be heldor locked on to the'pallet and-(prevented from be the truck thus leaving the pallets '10 and further use in future stack building and When finally unloading the unit of blocks, after they are unlocked from the blocks thereon, resting them upon any loose block, board or supports. on t a pallet, I j'can lower the angleirons 21 and 22 with the e ground or the like, such for example, as shown at 35,

Fig. 3, whereupon the angle irons are readily withdrawn fromthe side. In fact the angle irons with their load of unit blocks,

can be rested directly upon the ground'if desired, and then withdrawn, since there is only a slight marginal bearing of the blocks on the lower flanges of the angle irons. Although the lead and. hence the pull and strain of the hoisting chains 27, all leading "to the ring 30, hold the angle irons intof'position, yet I ma if desired, add a light spring 36 hooke in holes or otherwise attached to each end of the angle irons 21 and 22, as for example is clearly shown in Fig. 3. This serves to hold the angle irons'yieldingly in contact with the unit, acts further to make the applying or positioning of the angle ironsabout the unit more automatic in their positioning and engaging action, as

well as insuring the handling of the unit securely'in case of rough or careless workmen hoisting and manipulating the same.

It will thus be seen that my novel invention comprises an improved method of handling such heavy articles in unit stacked formation, eliminating the individual handling and saving the hand labor heretofore requisite in this class of work, and on the contrary greatly speeding up the delivery, as well as the handling of concrete blocks and such articles, because lifting, carryin transportin and unloading a unit in su .stantially t e same time as heretofore required in handling one block. Furthermore, the corners edges and all parts of the blocks are kept intact and free from flaking or scarring, and the pallets 10 are used over and over again, while a pair of angle irons, both at the loading and unloading points. will handle an innumerable quantity of these units. I believe that the method of handling such blocks in units, as well, also as the pallets, and the method of stacking and releasing, is distinctlv new in this art, and I wish to claim the same herein broadly. I furthermore prevent the breakage and damage by dropping, which breakage is at present a large item in concrete block manufacturing; I insure protection of the workmen against injury, and very greatly increase the speed of delivery of the blocks, because of the substantiallyinstantaneous loading and unloading of a truck, with all the blocks it can carry.

My invention is further described and defined in the form of claim asfollows:

Apparatus for handling a plurality of heavy articles in stacked units, comprising a pallet adapted to support and carry a bottom row of said articles, said pallet being of substantially less width than the width of said bottom row and of substantial thickness to permit the insertion under said articles of a pair of cooperating angle irons having horizontally disposed flanges of equal or less thickness than the thickness of the pallet, and hoisting means for said angle irons.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

SETRAK DERDERIAN. 

